Partial albino squirrel

catherinet(5 IN)March 11, 2007

Hi all,

I'm sorry I don't have a pic of this. I was looking out my window to the woods today, and I saw something running around that was white. I got my binocs, and saw that it was probably a red squirrel with a totally white tail! I've read that albino animals usually get killed off by predators more easily, and I can believe it. I could see it running all over the place because of its whiteness.

Albinism must be pretty common in squirrels, considering the reports of them here in the past, and CT's recent one on the Bird Sightings thread. Although, just Googling it, it appears the rate is 1 in 100,000. I hope your squirrel makes it, Catherine!

I've been seeing a squirrel with a white tail for the past 3 or 4 summers. I doubt I'll see him again if indeed it was the same one. How long do they live? There was another with a white patch. Maybe their genes will match up in the pool again and produce another oddity. Sandy

I had an all-white squirrel (not totally albino as it had black eyes) a couple of years ago. It was extremely skiddish, can't really blame it as it did stick out like a sore thumb! I only saw it for one summer.

There are some college campuses that compete for the largest white squirrel populations. That would be something to see!

Squirrels can live at least 17 years in captivity. I think I read somewhere they live about 7 years in the wild. Reminds me of the white alligators that were found down in Louisanna some years ago. There were a couple of them at the aquarium there in New Orleans and I got to see them. They sent them to various places to live when they found them, because they knew they would not survive in the wild. Really interesting. Glenda

Our regular gray squirrels are always gray, but we also have fox squirrels around here and they show up in a lot of different colors. In most places, fox squirrels are gray but in SC they are usually black with white markings, but some have been seen that are mostly white. I have not been lucky enough to spot a white one yet.